


Dragon Hunting

by snowgall



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animagus Draco Malfoy, Dragons, First Kiss, Forbidden Forest, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-16 22:54:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14820476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowgall/pseuds/snowgall
Summary: Harry definitely wants to pet the dragon. He thinks he might want to pet Draco, too.





	Dragon Hunting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LLAP115](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LLAP115/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Draco, the secret animagus](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/386606) by LLAP115. 



> LLAP, I've always been enchanted by this lovely piece of art by you, and I love the idea of Dragon!Draco. I really wanted to know how the characters in your drawing would have gotten together, so I decided to write the story. I hope you like it!
> 
> * * *
> 
> Thanks so much to **Oceaxe** for betaing, and to **unadulteratedstorycollector** for the britpick. I may have changed a few things since then, so all remaining mistakes are mine.

“Are you sure, Harry? The creature you’re describing doesn’t sound like anything native to this part of the world.”

He knew Hermione must be right, but it didn’t change what he had seen. “I’m sure. It was long, lean, and silvery. Definitely a dragon.” He’d taken a long look, too. It was quite possibly the most gorgeous creature he’d ever laid eyes on. But what was it doing here, in the Forbidden Forest?

Hermione shook her head in exasperation. “Well then, you had better tell Hagrid, hadn’t you? He’ll want to know if there are new creatures living in the Forest. But Harry,” she paused, gazing at him curiously, “what were you doing out there all by yourself so early in the morning?”

Telling Hermione that he had been following Malfoy, thinking he was ‘up to something’ again, wasn’t going to be fruitful, so he just shook his head and went off to find Hagrid.

But now that he thought back on it, he realized Malfoy might have seen the dragon too. After all, he had entered the Forest just ahead of Harry, and not far from where the dragon had been. So where had he gone? What had happened to him?

~~~

If he was being honest, Harry had been pondering that question ever since they had returned to Hogwarts. The war had affected all of them, but Malfoy seemed particularly unlike his old self. He was quiet and reserved where he had once been attention-seeking and snarky, and he appeared to spend almost all of his time studying. And ignoring Harry, which is what really bothered him. Harry didn’t even know why he missed the attention, seeing as how it had always been negative.

Or at least, had always been negative until a few months ago, when Malfoy had unexpectedly asked to meet him before school began so he could deliver a sincere, if awkward, apology. Harry hadn’t known what to say in return. Could he forgive Malfoy? He had no idea. But not wanting animosity between them during their final year at Hogwarts, he had accepted the olive branch being offered.

If Harry had imagined that they might become something like friends, his hopes were mostly dashed. A nod in the hall here, a quiet “please pass the bubotuber root” there. Malfoy kept to himself, out of trouble and away from Harry.

He had only seen Malfoy flustered once, when he had come upon him unexpectedly in a secluded part of the grounds last week. Malfoy had been standing with legs apart and arms spread in the air, eyes closed and muttering to himself.

Surprised, Harry found himself saying, “Oi, Malfoy! Trying to fly without a broom?”

“Gah!” Malfoy burst out, startled, turning. His eyes had sprung open in shock and he drew his arms in protectively. “Ah, er, wha-?” he sputtered inelegantly. After a few moments spent brushing his robes and smoothing his hair, he managed to pull himself together enough to ask with an aggrieved air, “What the hell, Potter?”

There really wasn’t anything Harry could say to that.

Still, Malfoy had looked shifty as hell. So naturally, Harry started watching him on the Marauder’s Map again. It was almost like old times. Malfoy was up to something, and Harry was determined to find out what.

He didn’t examine too closely why he seemed to once again be obsessed with Draco Malfoy.

~~~

“Did I see a _what_?” Draco asked, when Harry cornered him that afternoon. His face looked rather green at the prospect. Harry was rather concerned he might hurl. Was Malfoy so afraid of dragons? True, they were fearsome creatures, but the one he had come across that morning had looked quite peaceful and calm. Of course, it had probably helped that the dragon hadn’t noticed Harry.

“A dragon. Silvery white, not very large, but extremely beautiful?”

“Beautiful. A dragon. You’re barking.” Oh yes, _there_ was the Malfoy he knew. He sniffed haughtily, “No, I didn’t see a dragon. Nor did I see _you_.” He pinned Harry with a piercing glare, “ _Why were you following me?”_

“Erm...” Harry didn’t really have a good answer to that. “Force of habit?”

Malfoy’s eyes widened and he gaped. Harry realized Malfoy had quite a nice mouth, actually. And his eyelashes were surprisingly long.

“Er, gotta go.” Harry turned tail and all but ran for Hagrid’s. Malfoy stared after him, poleaxed.

~~~

Hagrid, of course, was always happy to visit the Forbidden Forest. Though he was firm in his opinion that Harry must have been mistaken as to what he’d seen. Dragons matching that description simply weren’t native to England; Hagrid would have known if one had settled in the Forest recently. He seemed quite adamant on the subject.

Harry rather thought that Hagrid shouldn’t be so sure of himself, but they had reached the forest by this point so he kept quiet. He quite wanted to see the creature again, and maybe even pet it—if that could be arranged. If a dragon might allow that. It had really been astonishingly beautiful—

The dragon wasn’t there.

It _couldn’t_ have just been Harry’s imagination that morning. Nothing in his life had _ever_ just been Harry’s imagination.

But Hagrid was looking around the clearing with increasing consternation. “Blimey, Harry, there was o’viously some large creature here very recen’ly,” he muttered, examining the ground closely. Muttering a bit more, he began peering carefully at the branches of the undergrowth surrounding the area, and looking up to the treetops above. “There’s jus’ no sign that it coulda come _in_ or gon _out_.”

“You mean it just appeared? Like Apparition?”

Hagrid shook his head, “Nah. Dragons can’—” but didn’t finish the thought. He suddenly grinned and clapped his hands. “No! Not like Apparition, Harry. Like an _animagus_!”

Oh. _OH_. It was all suddenly very clear to Harry what was going on.

“Er, gotta go,” Harry said for the second time that day. “Thanks Hagrid!”

As Harry ran off, he was sure he heard Hagrid mutter to himself regretfully, “I shouldn’ta said that.”

~~~

Harry kept a sharp eye on Draco’s dot on the Marauder’s map the rest of the day, waiting for him to go off alone again. He was sure that having successfully managed to transform himself the first time, Draco would not be able to wait long before trying again. Indeed, Harry knew him well. Just after dinner, Draco’s dot went out onto the grounds and headed towards the Forest once more.

Harry lagged far enough behind him to ensure Draco would have transformed again before he arrived.

And he had. Here was the same stunning creature he had seen that morning, silvery white and curled into a large circle in the middle of the clearing.

Harry stepped boldly forward. The Dragon lifted his head as if startled, but made no move towards him. The two of them eyed each other warily.

“You’re a _gorgeous_ creature,” Harry breathed. “May I touch you?” He reached his hand out slowly, waiting for a sign that he should stop. Draco remained still and watchful and allowed the advance.

Harry stroked reverently along the Dragon’s flank for several idyllic moments, amazed and humbled all at once. Unfortunately, his next words shattered the moment. “You’re _incredible_. How have you done this, Draco?”

There was a shift and shimmer and suddenly he was face to face with a very pissed-off looking Draco Malfoy.

“You knew it was me?! How did you know it was me?”

“I followed you? You know, force of habit? I thought you were up to something!”

“Well I _was_ , obviously!” Draco was about to work himself up into a righteous rage until something dawned on him and he stopped in astonishment. “You were _petting_ me!”

Oh. Right. Hard to explain that. But come to think of it— “Yeah? Well you _let me_ pet you!”

Draco’s cheeks pinked tellingly and he looked away.

Harry decided to just take his chance and damn the consequences. He spoke earnestly to the ground while shuffling his feet. “I’d like to do more than pet you, you know.”

Draco could not have looked more stunned if he had tried. “You...you _what_? You would?

“Yeah, erm...” Harry was still addressing the soil at that point but felt he needed to man up and face the dragon in the room so he looked up. Draco looked...approachable? Possibly even keen? Well then. He stepped forward and reached his hand out slowly, just as he had done moments ago. “Yeah. I would.”

Draco appeared to have stopped breathing. Harry placed his hand lightly on Draco’s waist and held his breath as well. But Draco made no move to shove him off. His behavior was in almost all respects like the Dragon’s had been—wary and accepting.

Harry couldn’t help but stroke his thumb in a small caress—Merlin, he really _did_ want to pet him—and move closer. Draco really did have quite a nice mouth. Very kissable. Harry leaned in.

Draco hesitated for just a moment, then tilted his head and met his lips in a soft kiss. He lifted his arms around Harry’s neck and drew him even closer. It was all the permission Harry needed to deepen the kiss, opening his mouth over Draco’s and tentatively licking inside. He never wanted to stop. But Draco broke off and pulled back slightly.

“Wait.” Draco didn’t look upset, only questioning. His eyes bore into Harry’s like he was seeking out his secrets. “Tell me this isn’t just because of the dragon thing.”

That, Harry would happily do. He rested his forehead against Draco’s and reassured him. “I don’t go around trying to kiss every dragon I meet, you know.”

“Met a lot of dragons, have you?” Draco replied archly.

“You’d be surprised,” Harry laughed, and kissed him again.

**Author's Note:**

> Writing dialogue for Hagrid is super hard! [I used the guide SwissMiss posted here](http://www.fictionalley.org/authors/swissmiss/HTWHD01.html), but I probably still made a hash of it. If anyone has better suggestions for imitating his speech patterns I'd love to hear it :)
> 
> * * *
> 
> [Fic headers](http://hd-remix.tumblr.com/post/174565528639/drarry-fic-dragon-hunting) and a [pull quote](http://hd-remix.tumblr.com/post/174572364309/did-i-see-a-what-draco-asked-when-harry) have been posted to tumblr. Help promote the fest by liking and reblogging!


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